The Youth and the Selkie
by Maddeline Kirkland-Bonnefoy
Summary: Kunzite and Zoisite have long loved one another, but a selkie cannot live on land, and a mortal cannot live in the sea. All seems lost for the two, but perhaps the Old Queen knows of a way they can be together...


**My first KunZoi one-shot, yay! Okay, my spazzing done with, there really isn't much to say other than the fact that this song awakened my KunZoi muse, and since I love them so much, I thought I'd write a one-shot for them. I hope I've gotten the characterization right, but since I've only ever written as Zoi before, I'm mostly hoping that I got his beloved Kunzite-sama even close to right.**

**Disclaimer: _Sailor Moon_ belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and other affiliated persons/companies, and the song _The Maiden and the Selkie_ belongs to Heather Dale.**

* * *

It had been years ago, perhaps five or so now, that he had first seen the beautiful Seal Lord. He, as the youngest Prince of the Northern Quarter, was not to inherit the throne, nor very much of anything, and so, though he did train as all Princes were expected, to be a warrior, he never truly had the desire or aptitude for it. That said, he spent many of his days on the beach, waist-length curls allowed to blow free in the frigid wind from the ice-cold sea. And there, at fifteen, was where he had first seen the Seal Lord. He had felt his heart flutter within his breast, as he watched sleek seal-skin glint in the white light from the over-cast sky; as he watched water run from the chiseled chest, and from hair the color of the snow which all but perpetually covered his family's domain. And he had known, as he sat there on the rocks, and gazed into the silvery-blue eyes of the Seal Lord, as his hand was taken in a larger, surprisingly warm, and tanner one… He had known that he would ever love this selkie.

At that time, in a voice as powerful as the crashing of the waves against the cliffs, but yet so very gentle, the Seal Lord had inquired as to his name.

"Zoisite, my Lord."

Five years ago, by the reckoning of mortals, he had first seen the youth, there upon that rocky, cold, and barren shore. He was the Lord and Master of the Southern Seas, but he had set out on a journey, so find himself a suitable mate. He had journeyed far, from his own domain, but never had he found the right selkie to take to partner. And then, he had entered the Northern Seas, here where few selkies ever came, for the people were hostile and suspicious, just as cold and cruel as the land they inhabited. Then, he had come upon a place where he might rest, before beginning his journey to return to his home, his efforts seemingly wasted. What the Southern Lord had never expected, would be that he would find a youth of such beauty as he had never believed mortals capable of possessing. As he had reclined upon the rocks, and looked at this youth… This youth with hair the color of flame, and a face that could have driven even the Gods to sin… As he had taken this boy's hand in his own, fingers closing easily about the slim, snow-pale and snow-cold hand, and as he had gazed into eyes the deep, bright green of spring… He had known he would ever love this youth.

And then he had asked the boy for his name. When it had been given, in a voice as soft and serene as the falling of the snow which blanketed this land always, save but for a few weeks of the year, the boy had asked for his own name in return.

"I am Kunzite, Lord of the Southern Seas."

_Once a fair and handsome Seal Lord  
Lay his foot upon the sand  
For to woo the fisher's daughter  
And to claim her marriage hand_

Over the course of the next five years, the two would come to the beach daily, and spend their time together. Zoisite would tell of his daily training, his familial interactions, and his studies. Kunzite would speak of the sea, often muse on the differing qualities of beauty to be found under the waves, and upon the shore. They spoke of their hopes and dreams, of things they feared, of things they loved… They spoke of everything under the sea and upon land; they spoke of anything and nothing, sometimes merely content to enjoy the silence together. And slowly, slowly, what had begun as merely a slight touch of the awareness, bloomed and blossomed into love that was true and deep, something the two wished never to let go of. But, there was still one more matter that needed to be addressed, and, after five years, Kunzite felt that it was time to do so.

_I have come in from the ocean  
I have come in from the sea  
And I'll not go to the waves, love  
Lest ye come along with me_

They talked for a bit, as they often did, that day, but soon, Kunzite broached the topic he had been thinking of for some time. "Zoisite, we have known each other for five years, and… I have come to care for you very much in that time." He paused for a moment, trying to think of how best to word his request. "Each day, for the past five years, I have come to you here, on the shore, and I shall not leave ever again, unless you come with me as my mate and partner."

_Lord, long have I loved you  
As a Selkie on the foam  
I would gladly go and wed ye  
And be lady of your home_

_But I cannot go into the ocean_  
_I cannot go into the sea_  
_I would drown beneath the waves, love_  
_If I went along with thee_

Emerald eyes widened at the words the Seal Lord had spoken, and a blush the color of pink roses dusted fair cheeks. "Kunzite-sama…" Zoisite breathed, unsure of what to say. "I… Love you… I know I do, and I would like nothing more than to be your mate… your partner, but… I can't." The pain in his voice was echoed by the flash of it in silver-blue eyes. "I want nothing more than to go with you, but I would drown… I would die, should I try to follow you back to your watery kingdom."

_Lady, long have I loved you  
I would have you for my wife  
I will stay upon your shoreland  
Though it robs me of my life_

_I will stay one night beside you_  
_Never go back to the sea_  
_I will stay and be thy husband_  
_Though it be the death of me_

The white-tressed selkie reached out to cup the youth's beautiful face in one of his hands, and as he brushed away the tears which those lovely eyes had produced, he once again marveled at how his beloved was so cold to the touch. "Then I shall stay with you, my Zoisite, and we shall be wed here." What he did not say – what did not need to be said, was that he would die if he stayed past midnight. He would gladly die, even for one night with his beloved.

_Lord, I cannot go and wed thee  
All to watch my lover die  
Since I'll not be left a widow  
I have a plan for us to try_

_Let us speak with my grandmother  
Who has ever dwelt beside the sea  
She may know some trick or treasure  
That I may wed my fair Selkie_

More tears filled the smaller male's eyes at the thought, as he shook his head violently, coppery red tresses being flung about and disloging Kunzite's hand in the process. "No! Kunzite-sama, I can't be with you, just to watch you die before dawn! I – I won't!" Seeing how his words could have been taken the wrong way, the young Northern Prince forced himself to calm. "Perhaps…" His brow furroed in thought, "Perhaps my Grandmother knows of a solution… She has lived by the sea ever since my Father took the throne years ago… Yes." As his tears dried, determination had taken their place. "If any know of a way, it would be she."

_So they've gone to her grandmother's  
Little cottage by the sea  
To inquire how a maiden  
Can be wed to her Selkie_

_For the Selkie's watery kingdom_  
_Would surely rob her of her breath_  
_But to stay on land past midnight_  
_It would surely be his death_

Kunzite agreed, and with a thought his seal-tail had become two legs, the seal-skin becoming trousers. Though it was slow going – it had been many years by mortal reckoning, since the Seal Lord had used his legs – the pair eventually made it to the cottage in which the old Queen resided. They knew this was their only option, as going with Kunzite would have killed Zoisite, and remaining on land past midnight would have been nothing less than death for the Seal Lord himself. The old Queen, who had the same green eyes as her youngest grandson, listened to their plight, but shook her head sadly. "No selkie has ever been known or able to remain on land past midnight and live.

_Lord, I know not how to aid you  
You may never live on shore  
For your kind to live till dawning  
It has never been seen before_

_But my mother had a seal coat_  
_That she buried beneath the tree_  
_And she told me that its wearer_  
_Would become a fair Selkie_

"I am sorry, there is just no way for what you two wish to happen." And yet, gazing into a face so much like her own had been, when she was young, the old woman relented, and murmured, "But, if you have your hearts set upon this… My Mother, who was Queen before me, had a coat of seal-skin. It was said that the wearer could become a selkie as well. If there is any way for you to be together, that would be the only one." She placed an old, aged hand upon her dear grandchild's cheek. "I wish you the best of luck, my little Zoi, and shall tell your parents not to mourn you, for you have found happiness."

None needed to say that, one way or another, the two would be together – be it in life, or in death.

_So they've journeyed farther inland  
Though the Seal Lord's getting weak  
And she's shouldering the shovel  
To unearth the thing they seek_

_At the rising of the full moon_  
_Underneath the elfin oak_  
_She has unearthed that fairy treasure_  
_Of which her grandmother spoke_

They made haste, but still, by the time they reached the place where the seal-coat was said to be buried, they had only one hour left until midnight. Zoisite glanced fearfully at Kunzite, as the redhead quickly dug deep within the roots of the old tree known to his people as the Fairy Oak. He could tell that the white-haired male was getting weaker by the moment, as just as much as it pained the Seal Lord, so too did it pain his beloved. This forced the slighter male to work harder, faster, using every ounce of strength he could muster, as he felt adrenalin and fear begin to mix within his veins. Though he was exhausted by the time the seal-coat was unearthed, the young Prince felt as if his strength would give out, along with Kunzite's life, and then everything would have been for naught, but in his desperation, he reached deep within himself, and accessed power had had never before known existed. In a swirl of cherry blossom petals, the two arrived on the shore once more.

_Just before the stroke of midnight  
They have made it back to sea  
And she has donned the magic seal coat  
And become a maid Selkie_

Without so much as bothering to wonder where that power had come from, the two went as quickly as possible to the edge of the water. Never once breaking their locked gaze, Zoisite donned the seal-coat, and with a soft cry from the redhead, the magic went to work. He felt his anatomy change, but nothing could ever have compared to the pain of feeling his legs being joined together into a seal-tail. It felt as if the bones were being broken and realigned, the skin ripped open and then sewn back together… It was pain like he had never experienced before. And then, just as quickly as the pain had come, it was gone, and the young selkie found himself falling forward into Kunzite's arms. Gazes still locked, the two shared a soft kiss for the first time. But soon the urgency was upon them again, and they made for the water.

_Now they've gone into the ocean  
Hand in hand into the sea  
She has gone along  
A fair seal bride for a Selkie_

And under the light of the full moon, the Seal Lord and his beloved entered the sea, never again to be parted.


End file.
